How we Serve
Lions motto is "We Serve" - and as you can see from the items below, our club is pretty active in supporting those who are not so fortunate as ourselves. Whilst the majority of this help tends to be financially based,we are also more than prepared to "get our hands dirty" by physically helping out, after all, service is not just about signing cheques.
Each month the club members meet in our Business Meeting (which anyone is welcome to attend) when amongst other items, we decide on how to distribute our funds. This is usually following appeals which we have received but can equally be a pro-active suggestion from a club member.
If you have something you feel that Lions could support, drop us a note via the contact us page and we will see if we can help. We cannot give a promise to support everything but we can guarantee that your request will be given consideration.
2012
January
Starting a new year helping Willen Hospice, Raptor Rescue and giving Powerful support to the Olney Newton Link
Sharing the spoils from New Year's Eve at the Bull
Another fantastic evening at the Bull Inn saw a large number taking part in the New Year's Party which resulted in the Lions Club and Willen Hospice sharing the spoils from the charity donation attached to each ticket.
As part of the 'agreement' with the owners, Mark and James, we undertook to don our Penguin Suits, mimic Manuel from Faulty Towers to become waiters and welcome the guests with their Champaign and Canapes. A few of the Lions and some friends joined in the party atmosphere after our duties were over to bring in 2012.
The event raised a magnificent £750 which was split between the Lions Club and Willen Hospice with the club administering the donation on behalf of The Bull.
Our gratitude to the management and staff at The Bull can't be overstated and their continued support to club is appreciated.
Helping injured Birds of Prey
Our Dickens of a Christmas Craft Fayre has been fortunate to be supported by a couple of friends of Lions who are falconers. Each year they have taken over the Garden area at the Olney Centre and our visitors are given the opportunity to get up close to their magnificent exhibits. The two Falconers, Jan Prymaka from JRCS Falconry and Malcolm Page give their services totally free each year and make a collecton for Raptor Rescue, the charity which treats injured and sick birds 
of prey before releasing them back into the wild.
This years donation amounted to just over £500 which gives an indication of the enjoyment these birds give to our Dickensian visitors and this has been 'topped up' by the club to £550 with a cheque for this amount having winged its way to the Charity.
Wildlife photos courtesy of wildlife photographer Richard Ford. To find out more about Richard, please visit his website at www.digitalwildlife.co.uk.
Bringing Power to Newton, Sierra Leone
The Lions Club have been very active supporters of the Olney, Newton Link, having financed 3 houses, helped furnish and roof the Secondary School and provided assistance in a number of other projects.
One of the major developments at Newton, was the construction of a skill centre which would provide the necessary training to help those attending become more proficient in a range of life skills and be able to sustain their families.
Whilst the centre could provide basic skills, the lack of adequate power was constraining some of the more modern IT skills which rely very heavily on electricity, a relatively rare commodity in the town.
The necessary power could be supplied by the purchase and installation of solar panels which would enable the centre to be equipped with adequate power to allow the introduction of various items which would otherwise not be possible. These are not inexpensive and a new fundraising exercise was put into place to raise the necessary money.
Recognising that we could provide further assistance to the Link, Lions have made a fairly substantial donation to the project and we look forward to seeing the units being installed a bit earlier than they may otherwise have been.
2011
December
A busy Christmas season sees the club generosity peak as the year ends
Lions take the biscuit - to our elderly residents, that is.
Probably one of the favourite activities of our club is the annual distribution of Gifts to the elderly. This year's present took the form of a box of biscuits which is not a lot in itself, but given that we hand deliver in the region of 300 of these gifts, it is a major task for a small club to undertake.
The real attraction of the task is to meet a wide variety of individuals who often want to have a chat on the doorstep and the lives which people have led can be really fascinating. The few minutes we give some of the older folks in the area is of much more value than the few ££s which the gift costs and if you waken up that morning feeling a little blue, you lose that feeling within a very short time.
Yes, life serving as a Lion, really does have some very rewarding moments.
Walking Back to Happiness
One of the things about being a member of a Lions club is to be able to assist those who may fall outside of the normal support channels and safety nets which are set up via Government/Charitable trusts.
One such case which was brought to our attention was the plight of a local lady who was disabled and although she had a walking aid, it did not fit her situation. With a young, active family, she was unable to take part in many of the things youngsters get up to and the main problem was her mobility over uneven ground. Normal walking aids can cope with pavements and flat surfaces but are useless in grassy and rough terrain - the very places youngsters want to go. In her case, the children were being constrained by her inability to gain access to play areas, grassy paths etc. Specialist walkers existed but these were not available via the formal channels and the cost of the appropriate item was well outside of the mothers finances.
In partnership with some of the other Lions clubs in the area and with the help of a local mobility company, an approprate piece of equipment, the Swedish made Trionic Veloped, was identified and the clubs combined resources to share the cost and buy the unit concerned.
This was presented to the lady recently and she is delighted with the new lease of life it has brought to both her and her family.
Just another example of how Lions can help individuals.
If you know of someone who may need our help, why not get in touch. Let us know the details via our contact page and we will give consideration to the situation. We cannot help every case brought to our attention but we do and will, give consideration to every approach.
Foodbank
A fairly new charity has been operating in Milton Keynes for a few years and the current economic climate is making its services more vital then ever.
The MK
Food Bank was established in the City in June 2004 as a direct response to an initiative started by the Trussell Trust in Salisbury, which had been operating a similar scheme there since the year 2000. Originally run totally by volunteers, a Development Grant from the Milton Keynes Community Foundation saw the appointment of a full time Project Manager enabling the organisation to focus on an ever-growing need within Milton Keynes and surrounding areas. The objective of the foodbank is to provide food parcels to those in need during periods when they are particularly vulnerable and 'at risk',
Since opening, The Food Bank has seen a steady growth in the number of local people being referred via a network of over 95 professional care referral agencies including Social Services, MK Council, Age Concern, British Red Cross, Hospital, Probation Service, YMCA & various housing associations. All Schools, Churches and Doctors Surgeries in Milton Keynes can also act as referral agents. The agency provides the individual with a voucher which they can then convert to a food parcel from the Foodbank, ensuring that the assistance is truly providing the necessary food for the individual/family concerned.
In the past three years, the demand has grown from 2390 food parcels to over 7000 and sadly the need continues to grow which is one reason why our club felt that it should make a significant donation to the charity at this particular time of year.
November
18 Local Schools offered discounted Loss Change and Bereavement resources along with a donation to Water Aid were the beneficiaries from a Lions fund distribution this month.
Cut Price 'Life Changes' Bereavement resources offered to local schools.
Everyone will experience change and loss throughout their lives, such as family breakdown or the death of a relative or friend. School communities are not immune to such situations and will inevitably have to support children who have faced loss in one of its myriad forms. This resource, with support from Lions Clubs in the UK, has been developed by TACADE, the not for profit organisation working to promote young people's health and wellbeing and aims to provide help to teachers in this sensitive area. The resource adopts both a proactive and reactive approach to loss and change and will enable staff to make an immediate considered response to situations such as bereavement within the school.
It is a practical working document with 'tried and tested' practical ideas, including ideas for activities, linked to curriculum areas and assemblies; poems, letter, writing and artwork; a teaching staff, governor, parent/carer training workshop/self awareness session; case studies' and a comperehensive resource list.
The resource normally costs around £35 but recognising that many of our local schools would find it useful, we arranged with TACADE to provide the packs at a reduced rate, via a voucher system, and all schools in our area were sent a voucher before Christmas enabling them to purchase the resource at a discounted rate of only £10.
We were a little disappointed to find that only 3 schools have taken advantage of our offer but hope that those who have purchased the resource find it invaluable if a situation arises which the pack has been designed to assist with.
Donation made to Water Aid Charity.
Lions clubs in the UK support a number of charities, one of which is Water Aid, the organisation which works to provide fresh water to communities, normally in the third world, who do not have access to something which we have come to take for granted. Not only is the lack of clean water a major problem to the community at large, the reliance on sub standard water causes no end of major disease and illnesses which threaten the lives of many.
This month, our club made a donation of £200 to Water Aid and the money will be used to provide clean water to a specific community in Africa via the creation of a well ensuring that the families who live there can have one of life's basic commodities.
Lions help light up the skies in Olney
Being in a Lions club is not just about raising and giving money to good causes, it is also about serving our community in many different ways.
Each year, a group of volunteers in Olney (The Olney Group - or TOG for short), put on a fireworks display. Finding adequate manpower to conduct the event both safely and securely is a tall order and Lions are happy to mobilise our members and our friends group to provide access control at the main entrance. This involves selling and checking access tickets to around 4000 people who use that entrance and then ensuring that the exit is clear for those leaving the event at the end of the evening.
Whilst Lions do not organise the event, our availability does help TOG plan a magnificent display in the knowledge that they have a group of individuals willing to turn out on the evening of the event to help it go smoothly.
October
Bringing life back to a garden in Wolverton and helping new life in Ethiopia - active across the age spectrums
Orchard House Wolverton
Orchard House is a care home located in Wolverton and consists of 31 flats occupied by the elderly, many of whom need a little support from the staff but are otherwise able to live in their own homes. Built in 1960, it is run by Milton Keynes Council and over the years, the garden area has become overgrown. The occupants were clearly unable to carry out the physical work needed to bring this up to a high enough standard for them to be able to enjoy and the current economic climate within local authorities has seen it deteriorate to what some would describe as 'an eyesore'. Find out how Lions in the Milton Keynes area have come together to tackle the problem by clicking here.
Getting on their bikes for Ethiopia - Cycling Midwives receive a little help from Lions
Maternity Worldwide is a charity, working to reduce mortality associated with childbirth in developing countries and currently it is active in Ethiopia where as many as 1 in 7 women currently die in pregnancy or childbirth. The project which is being rung by the charity in that country sees them actively deploying medical and midwifery staff and providing a level of patient care for those most in need whilst training local people in an effort to permanently improve the situation. We are very fortunate to have two local midwives (Sally Pollock and Lisa Fox) who have taken the message to heart and are off to Ethiopia shortly to spend some time helping, training and generally improving the situation in the small town of Gimbie.
Chairman of the Welfare Committee Lion Tony Higgs and the club were delighted to meet Sally and Lisa recently in order to hand over a small donation from the club towards what can only be described as a difficult challenge both physically and emotionally and we hope that they will find the experience of working in Ethiopa both satisfying and extremely rewarding.
Sally and Lisa won't be taking the easy route (if one actually existed) but will be getting 'on their bikes' to cycle over 350 
miles across rough terraine to reach what will become their new home for a few weeks as they work to help and transfer their skills to the local population of Gimbie.
After handing over the cheque however, Tony and Lion President Trevor Aldred couldn't resist getting back into the saddle, thinking of the Raleigh bikes of the days but things have moved on a bit. No soft padded seating on the bike of the 21st century as they were quick to realise and they almost immediately fell foul to a bad case of "Saddle Sore". Quickly handing the cycles back to Sally and Lisa, they vowed to stick to " the more civilised form of transport" to be found on the M6 and expressed total disbelief that these bikes would be carrying Sally and Lisa over 350 miles 'to work'.
We wish them and all the other midwives who will be joining them, the best of luck and trust that they may come back and let us know how they have got on with their venture.
September
Planting for the future at Olney Middle School
As part of our environmental activities, the club has been working with our local Olney schools on a number of projects relating to the the immediate environment around their premises. Earlier this year we cleared a pond area and planted some trees at the Infants School (now Academy) and this month saw us supporting the Middle school by supplying a range of bushes, fruit and other trees which they would be planting themselves as part of their curriculum.
Next time a student comes home with gooseberries, apples or pears, don't give them a row for plundering the neighbours garden for goodies, they will probably just be bringing their homework home.
A good environment is conducive to many things, not least, learning and we hope that our club has assisted in some small way.
August
A major disaster appeal and a local children's group benefitted from our help this month
Horn of Africa Disaster Appeal
The tragic events unfolding in the Africa caused primarily by drought has seen the Lions Clubs International Foundation (LCIF) mounting an appeal to support Lions in the Horn of Africa to provide famine relief. An immdiate grant of US$15,000 has been made to the local clubs to assist in the procurement and distribution of food and other necessities.
Lions in neighboring countries are quickly responding by providing aid and a Lions Relief Team has been formed to coordinate emergency relief efforts and to collaborate with the Red Cross, UNICEF and other relief agencies in Kenya. Lions are also beginning to work with organizations in Ethiopia.
Lions are helping the most vulnerable, who are children in the area of Northern Kenya and Dadaab, which is the largest refugee camp for the Somalia victims. Lions from Ethiopia are also assisting in the relief efforts. Dadaab, a camp designed for 90,000 people, now houses around 440,000 refugees, and approximately 1,000 more are arriving each day.
Somalia is experiencing the worst drought in 60 years, resulting in dehydration and famine. According to the United Nations, 3.2 million of the 7.5 million people in Somalia are in need of immediate lifesaving assistance. Already more than 29,000 children under the age of five have died.
Lions around the world are helping, and your club has made a donation of £500 to this LCIF designated fund, “Aid for Africa 2011,” which will find its way to the local clubs to help them carry out their relief work. In common with all our appeals, none of the funds donated will be used for administration and every penny will find it's way to the area of the disaster where it will be put to good use by the local Lions clubs as they work to support those affected in their respective towns and villages.
MK Special Dons
This Milton Keynes football based club for special needs children and young adults between 6 and 19 was originally set up to cater for young people with physical disabilities and more severe learning difficulties. The group has extended its reach and now also includes the SN Dons group that caters for young people with ADHD / EBD / MLD / and other behavioural difficulties. Meeting regularly, they are led by an MK Dons SET Coach and supported by other qualified volunteer coaches providing a quite amazing facility for young people who could normally find socialising and sport to be a major obstacle to leading a normal life.
Each year a prize presentation takes place and we were pleased to provide a prize for this competition which raises much needed funds for disabled sport in Milton Keynes and some of our member attended what was described as an extremely humbling experience as the youngsters received the various trophies, medals and awards.
Just one of the many situations a Lion member will find themselves exposed to and which makes being a Lion, so worthwhile.
July
Snuggling up when the world must be upside down thanks to Lions and our friends at Threads & Patches
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MK Act (MK Women's Aid)
We have, over the past few years, regularly supported MK Act (better known as MK Women's Aid), the local branch of a national charity which provided support, advice and refuge to those who are suffering from domestic violence. In previous years this has tended to be in the form of a donation at Christmas which was used to bring a bit o light into the light of those children living in the refuge at that time. Last year we arranged for 60 places to be made available at MK Theatre for the pantomime but this year, we did something a lot different. The groups refuge is having to be expanded to cope with an increase in the demand for their services and as a result, a large number of flats are being made added to the original refuge. Click here to see what we did this year to support them.
June
A lesser known local organisation receives our support this month
STaSS
STaSS is a Milton Keynes based organisation which is making a difference in the lives of people who are infected or affected by H.I.V. They provide effective health and social care services and firmly believe that stigma can be challenged and infection prevented through effective education and outreach programmes.
It is a place where people can go to talk about their experiences, receive advice that is helpful to them, access services that improve their lives and meet others for peer support and friendship. It is an inclusive organisation, responsive to the needs and experiences of people of all ages, abilities, ethnicities, genders, religious beliefs and sexual orientation. They wanted to take a large number of youngsters to Bournemouth for a day trip but funds just didn't stretch to cover such a 'luxury' and we were asked if we would like to contribute something towards the costs. In conjunction with the Lions Club of Bletchley, Milton Keynes, we put together a donation sufficient to cover a significant part of the transport costs and the trip was able to go ahead.
May
Two organisations benefit from our support - thousands benefit from the two organisations
Tacade
Tacade (Teachers Advisory Council for Alcohol and Drug Awareness) is a leading not-for-profit charitable organisation working to promote the health and well-being of children and young people locally, nationally and internationally including alcohol, drugs, gambling, homophobia, loss, change and bereavement, sexual health and smoking. Increasingly, they are working with the more vulnerable, at risk children and young people and frequently the resources are financed by corporate and charitable organisations.
Lions have a very strong partnership with Tacade which goes back many years and we were recently approached as they had identified the need for a school resource to help Teaching Staff and pupils cope with bereavement and major change with the family.
Lions in the UK were up for the challenge and an appeal, which our club is delighted to be part of has raised the necessary funds to enable "Life Changes" to be developed and to be rolled out later in the year.
We will inevitably look at ways of helping ensure the resource is made available to the schools in our area as there have been a number of cases recently where schools have had to cope with the loss of pupils and although we hope that the resource will never be needed, we do hope that it will be available if necessary.
MK Carers
Carers Milton Keynes is an independent charity set up to support unpaid, family Carers in the Milton Keynes area.
They are part of the Princess Royal Trust for Carers Network, which has 141 Carers Centres around the UK and although they have been active in Newport Pagnell for a couple of years, it was clear that they had a considerable number of carers in and around Olney but without a local presence, many were missing out on the services of Carers MK. Within the two towns, it was also noticed that a large number of younger carers were juggling the needs of a parent/sibling with schooling and frequently these youngsters had little or no opportunity for social interaction with their peers.
The group decided to open an 'outreach' unit in the town but funding, as always, was a major stumbling block and approached the Lions Club for assistance which we were delighted to provide. At the same time, we learned that they would like to take the younger carers on an outing so we decided to help with that as well resulting in the club making a donation of £600 to help both projects..
April
The money has gone near and far this month.
Mark Newton
We heard about Mark and his aim to travel around the coast of Wales to raise money for The Royal British Legion, Help for Heroes and 1st The Queens Dragoon Guards. The trip was going to be more than 1200 miles and would take take 46 days if all went well. A big challenge for anyone who is fully fit but in the case of Mark, he is doing the route on his mobility scooter. The scooter was provided to Mark by the Legion and the Regiment to help him get around and as he enjoys wildlife and wildlife photography the scooter needed to be robust and capable of handling rough terrain.
In August 2010 he had to pack in work because of deteriorating health and one morning whilst on his way to see what wildlife was around on the estuary a gentleman stopped him to talk about the scooter, joking during the conversation that he could go round Britain on it and so the idea was born.
The charities he chose to support were easy to select. Two because they had already helped him and he wanted to 
say thank you and the other, Help for Heroes as so many personnel were coming back from Afghanistan with injuries that are life changing. Every penny raised would be going to the charities concerned and Mark will not be taking anything for himself or be paying organisations for handling money on his behalf.
The club were so impressed by his selfless attitude and drive to help others that we decided to pledge a sum of £100 to help him reach his goal and at the end of the trek, he has managed to raise almost £10,000 for his chosen charities. Well done Mark, a true example of a Great Briton.
Local Lass
A bit closer to home, is a local girl who is suffering from a very rare illness which our NHS is unable to treat. Her relatives have identified a potential treatment abroad but the cost runs into the high 5 figures and there is no guarantee of success so they have embarked on a long journey to try and raise the necessary funds. Our club has pledged a sum of money to the appeal but this will only be handed over once the final figure is within grasp as it is by no means certain that the sum concerned can be raised. The club felt that it would be more responsible to deal with this in the form of a pledge rather than donating it straight into a project which may take some years to come to fruition.
Brightening up the local community
Once again the club has decided to participate in the Olney Hanging Basket project run by one of the local townspeople, Ron Bull who has worked tirelessly to ensure that the lamposts are a blaze of colour throughout the summer.
Our basket is once again adorning one of the lamposts and helping the town maintain it's character, not to mention, hoping to help it to once again win a prize in the Britain in Bloom competition.
This initiative probably highlights more than anything, the community spirit which abounds in Olney and helps demonstrate that there plenty of people willing to help keep the town attractive.
March
It was jackets off and spades at the ready this month.
Tree Planting at Olney Infants School
As part of the National Tree Week and Lions Environmental project, a number of the members of our club spent a morning planting some fruit trees at the Infants School - well we didn't do all thw work ourselves as we press ganged some of the younger pupils into yeilding the spade and doing some of the work.
Lions Martin Ward, our resident horticulturist, gave the children a 'potted' history of trees and how they grow and took some pretty difficult questions from the youngsters. They are now looking forward to having some of their own apples when the trees eventually fruit and some mums may just be cajoled into producing some apple pies for the teachers (and pupils).
February
A range of organisations were assisted this month giving a good appreciation of the varying type of support we are willing to give.
Raptor Rescue
Visitors to the Dickens event in Olney will have seen our Birds of Prey exhibition which is staged outside the Olney Centre. These birds are provided by friends of Lions and the services of the falconers and exhibits are provided totally free of charge.
As a token of our thanks, collection buckets are placed around the display area and the total sum which is contributed by the public (rounded up by a contribution from Lions funds) is sent to Raptor Rescue, a charity which treats ill and injured birds of prey before, hopefully, returning them to the wild.
Christian Lewis Trust
The club was approached by the Christian Lewis Trust as they were supporting a local family who had a child suffering from Cancer and it was hoped to arrange a short holiday for them. In order to conserve their own funds, local organisations were being given the opportunity of making donations towards the appeal and we were happy to make such a donation. We hope the family enjoy their holiday and everyone benefits from the change of scenery before returning home.
Restoring Sight through Eye Camps
Lions have been ambassadors for the Blind for many years and were the organisation which introduced the internationally recognised white stick which indicates someone who is blind. Though Sightsavers International, we sponsor many eye camps in the Indian/African sub continents where thousands have benefitted from treatment to restore sight, improve sight problems or preventing blindness occurring in high risk communities.
We sponsored an eye camp this month and will eagerly await the letter which we will receive highlighting the location of our camp and the details of the numbers who will have benefitted from the activity. Come back to the site later and find out what our small donation has achieved.
January
This month saw the club making a number of donations in addition to actually getting our hands dirty on a couple of projects.
Defibrillator Training for Carlton House Staff
Some time ago, a charity provided Carlton House Club with a Defibrillator. This is a type of model ideally suited for use by non medically trained people who may encounter someone who it is suspected, could be suffering a heart attack and has proved to be a life saver in many instances.
Despite intial training, the unit is not (fortunately) used on a frequent basis so those involved when the unit was installed, felt that they could do with some refresher training. Contact was lost with the original supplier and despite having a suitably qualified person willing to do the training free of charge, a Training defibrillator costing many hundreds of ££s was required. We were happy to arrange the purchase of the necessary equipment which will be used by the Nurse in any other sites where similar training is needed.
New Shed for the Residents of Clifton Court
We were approached on behalf of the residents at the sheltered housing complex in Olney to see if we could help restore their ageing shed, used to hold the tools used in their gardens.
Following a visit by our welfare committee chairman, it was suggested that we purchase a new, larger, shed and erect it on the same site.
So it was, one wet Saturday morning that a number of the club members put on the working clothes and headed down to Clifton Court to make the chageover and you can see from the photos, we managed to piece the bits together and leave behind a fantastic new facility in time for the summer weather when we hope their Garden will bloom as it never has before. But what to do with the old shed?....................read on!
Old Shed, New Site - recycling at its best
No sooner had we finished the erection of the new shed at Clifton Court than the Phonebox Magazine carried an article about a shed belonging to a 'frail old person' having been destroyed by fire.
2 + 2 = 4 so we 'hot footed it' to the allotments and offered the old shed from Clifton Court. This was gratefully received and again, Lions mobilised to remove the shed from its (almost) final resting place to the allotments where, after some minor work, we hope it will provide many more years use. Just another example of Lions 'Service' ethic.
Want to see what we did in previous years? Click on the appropriate year : 2010
Why not become involved?
The Lions club can only be as active as numbers allow and we will always welcome help - you don't need to become a member to help us make a difference in the community. We are always on the scrounge for people who may be willing to give an hour or so at the events we are involved with as the old proverb "Many hands make light work" is never truer than when we are fully stretched in our service activities.
Register with us as one of our "Friends" and we will keep you in touch with the plans we have and the social events we organise, there really is no better way to become part of the community we live in.
Registering is simple. Just click on the link to our Contact Page , type "Can I help?" and someone will be in touch with details of how you can become involved - remember, your only commitment will be to come and help when you have both the time and inclination....not everything we do is suits for everyone.